Burning Midnight

by Will McIntosh

How much would you pay for superpowers? Fast-paced action adventure with a world-changing twist...

For fans of The Maze Runner and The 5th Wave, this debut YA novel from Hugo Award-winner Will McIntosh pits four teens against an evil billionaire in the race of a lifetime.

Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn't pay much - Alex Holliday's stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers - but it helps him and his mum make the rent. No one knows where the brilliant-coloured spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at maths, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the greater the improvement - and the more expensive the sphere.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. What they find will change more than just their lives... Because the entire world fights over spheres, but no one knows why they're here or what their powers are... until now.

~ Review ~

Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh is a fast-paced and exciting journey which will take its readers from the seat of their homes to hunting super-power-giving-spheres, along the way dodging very dangerous people and all the while forging unbreakable bonds.

From the premise of the synopsis I did not think I would enjoy this novel as much as I did. Upon receiving this book I had not heard of this novel nor of its Author so I wasn't sure what to expect, sure the premise sounded interesting but I certainly did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. From its first few pages, it had me hooked, asking questions and turning pages just to find out the answers to these questions.

The world in which Burning Midnight is set at isn't much different to our world, the main difference being this world has spheres, when two of the same coloured spheres are "burnt" (touching both to either side of your temples) it gives that person some kind of power whether it be forgetting a memory, being better looking, smarter, faster etc. Like all things with a value, humans soon finds a way to exploit it financially.

David Sullivan is a sphere trader at the local markets, trying to help his single-Mother out financially, Hunter Valdez is a sphere hunter, when the two meet paths their adventure begins.

I absolutely enjoyed the fast paced adventure ride that McIntosh takes his readers on. Everything about it was fantastic, the story line was original and inventive, the pacing was fast and adventurous but not rushed, the characters were multi-dimensional and their relationships and friendships were relatable and realistic. Even the Villain you can come to understand, I certainly didn't sympathise with his greed but you understand him as a person.

The story is truly fantastic and it is certainly worth the read. Being a standalone novel, the Author tied the end up nicely which is where I find a lot of adventure books lacking. I would still love to read more about this world and the characters, but alas it was still a satisfying ending and I found myself feeling wowed once I turned the last page. I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy adventure stories and I cannot wait to read other Will McIntosh novels.